My Favorite Fall Products from Trader Joe’s You Should Buy This Weekend

Tomorrow is a day I have waited YEARS for. Living on Capitol Hill has its perks – a gorgeous view of the Dome, cool bars and restaurants and picturesque rowhouses. But what it doesn’t have is a good grocery store. This has been a rant of mine for awhile now so buckle up. There’s a Giant and Whole Foods on H Street and that’s really it. But even with Amazon-imposed new prices at Whole Foods, I can’t afford to shop there regularly. And the Giant on H Street just doesn’t cut it. Two years ago, Trader Joe’s announced they were moving to the Hill and I promptly blacked out from happiness.

And now Trader Joe’s is opening its doors on Capitol Hill tomorrow and my life will be exponentially better.

I sound insane, don’t I? But for someone who enjoys cooking and actually finds grocery shopping therapeutic, not having a good grocery store nearby has been a sticking point for me. You can bet I’ll be grabbing my granny cart and heading there this weekend. I’ve rounded up my favorite fall products from Trader Joe’s along with a few recipes I make with them. And here’s my ultimate Trader Joe’s shopping list. And 10 appetizers under $10, which is my #1 most pinned pin EVER. See you there this weekend!

Hearty Minestrone Soup: Their hearty minestrone soup is a seasonal product for fall and winter and I probably buy about 5 containers each time I visit TJ’s. It’s the best to have on hand for lunch or dinner and at $3.29, you can’t find a nutritious meal for a better price.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread: I could eat this out of the container with a spoon. But seriously, this cream cheese spread on a toasted bagel is my favorite weekend breakfast.

Pistachio Pomegranate Crisps with Cranberry Chevre: Tis the season of Friendsgivings! When you’re in search of an easy appetizer to bring to Friendsgiving, I couldn’t recommend their Pistachio Pomegranate Crips with Cranberry Chevre more. Or if you just want to do a wine + cheese night with friends, get this combo. It’s perfect.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookie Butter: Who isn’t a fan of cookie butter?? I have a horrible sweet tooth that rears its ugly head at nighttime. I like to have a jar of cookie butter on hand for a spoonful to keep the sweet tooth at bay. But when the sweet tooth monster wants you to kick it up a notch, you create a pumpkin pie spice cookie butter magic shell to top your vanilla ice cream. All you need is cookie butter + coconut oil! It’s…well, magic.

Cranberry Apple Butter: When it comes to butters, Trader Joe’s really goes all out. They have approximately a zillion different types of nut butters and then, they have fruit butters. You can spread cranberry apple butter onto a piece of toast to add some seasonal flavor to your breakfast. Or you can put a spoonful into a cocktail strainer with some bourbon. I’m not joking. I tried it and it worked and made the best bourbon fizz ever. Try it and let me know!! Also, it’s nice to see my photography skills have improved over the years!

Kettle Cooked Chicken Soup: Made-from-scratch chicken soup in your fridge whenever you want, that’s the dream for fall. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll toss in some spiralized zucchini after heating the soup up to add some “noodles.” But really, this soup is perfect on its own.

Pumpkin Ice Cream: Like I said, I have a horrible nocturnal sweet tooth. But thankfully this pumpkin ice cream hits the spot. It hits all the right notes of pumpkin without being too pumpkin-y and spice without being too much.

Puff Pastry: I’m going to sound insane here again. The fact that Trader Joe’s only sells frozen puff pastry during the fall and winter is ludicrous, it’s easily one of their most magical products. You can make a savory veggie tart (again LOL with my early food photography attempts) or a dessert like my lazy girl baklava. So being the true insane Trader Joe’s fangirl that I am, I usually will stock up when I find it because trust me, this stuff sells out fast.

Spiced Cider: Move over, OJ. In the fall, I like to make my mimosas with apple cider. Don’t let the “spiced” in the name fool you, this is just regular apple cider. You can also heat it in a crockpot with bourbon or rum and a few other ingredients to make mulled cider.

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